WSU students opt for non-horror Halloween films

Jamie Lee Curtis looks out of a porthole at a man in the water during a scene from the film ” Halloween: H20.” Many Weber State University students dislike horror movies. (Source: DIMENSION FILMS/DA)

The horror film “Annabelle” hit $37 million on its opening weekend, and WSU students have undoubtedly contributed to that number. But for some students, modern horror films are too much to handle.

“During Halloween, I’m a wimp. I hate scary movies,” WSU student Jessica Willden said. “I watched, ‘The Grudge’ the other day for the first time. It was so scary but my husband and my friend made me watch it.”

Willden said she prefers a more lighthearted approach to Halloween movies.

“It’s so silly but I’ll watch the kids ones,” Willden said.

Referring to movies like “Hocus Pocus” and “Halloweentown,” Willden is not alone.

The eldest of six children, Johnson has a tradition of watching Halloween movies with her family.

“Last year we watched ‘Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin,’” Johnson said.

Some students choose to take a more adult approach while seeing horror films. WSU student Dane Tattersall said he doesn’t like the genre of scary movies, but expressed a love for the horror comedy franchise, “Scary Movie.”

Of the horror genre, Tattersall said, “I just like to be thinking about good things throughout the day and after watching that stuff, you get it stuck in your mind and I don’t like thinking about it throughout the day. I don’t think it makes me become a better person.”

While some students might seem turned off by the horror genre, WSU student Caesar Rodarte has found something he can enjoy.

“I don’t really like a lot of that demon stuff,” Rodarte said. “I do like the Mike Myers ones or Freddy Krueger. That’s pretty cool. They’re classic in a sense. it just kind of gives you that kind of chill sometimes just watching those. It has that sense of thrill and it’s cool.”

As the grotesque and fearful films dominate box offices during October, some WSU students turn to classic horror films for a different reason.

“When Netflix puts up the old scary movies like the 1945 scary movies that are super old and cheesy, I’ll watch those because I can laugh about them because they’re cheesy,” Willden said.

Willden is not alone in her assessment of old Hollywood horror films.

“I prefer the older ones because they’re cheesy and they’re hilarious to watch. Because you think like, ‘Wow, this was the most terrifying film back then,’ that’s nothing compared to what I’ve seen,” Johnson said.

It can be hard to ignore the hype and ballyhoo of the Halloween season. Still, for some students movie choices are not seasonal.

Yeah, your description for the image is entirely wrong. “Halloween H20” is set on a High School Campus, not a submarine… “The Man” is Michael Myers (you know the prolific film’s main antagonist). He is not “in the water” he standing on concrete…